


Short One

by red_smear



Series: Shitty Boy Corner [5]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: "Zagreus" (Derogatory), Begging, Cock Rings, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Edging, Hand Jobs, Intercrural Sex, Is It Spitroasting If One Side Is Just Thigh-Fucking, Mildly Dubious Consent, More Aphrodite Boon Shenanigans, Multi, Oral Sex, Orgasm Denial, Subdrop, Subspace, Theseus Can Dish Out Ridiculous Dirty Talk But He Cannot Take It, Threesome - M/M/M, Zagreus Is A Very Good Pet Yes He Is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:02:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28183605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_smear/pseuds/red_smear
Summary: “Asterius!”  Theseus looks pleased, flushed with arousal and the joy of victory.  “Why, you couldn’t have better timing, my friend!  Come see what I’ve taught him!”
Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus (Hades Video Game), Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Asterius | The Minotaur/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Theseus/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: Shitty Boy Corner [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010508
Comments: 60
Kudos: 325





	Short One

**Author's Note:**

> Get it, "Short One"? Because it's...a short fic and...it's from Asterius' POV...! (Also I think it's kind of funny that it's ostensibly about edging but it's a little bite-sized porn snippet.)  
> Anyway, huge thanks to @darkmodeproxy on Twitter for helping me hammer out the end of the sex scene and generally enabling me with top-notch TheseZag content! There are a few things I couldn't get in there but I'm storing them carefully for future fics, like precious nuggets of gold.
> 
> Edit: Fanart! It's SFW this time, just Zag being a good sweet pet...you love to see it <3 https://twitter.com/R18_4V6/status/1346669598733643782?s=20

Asterius doesn’t often fight alone. Still, there are days or nights when those seeking to battle _only_ the Bull of Minos clamor for his attention, and it seems less trouble to oblige them. Theseus had seemed less than pleased by the thought at first (“We are a pair, Asterius, we fight as one!”)--but over time he was convinced to leave Asterius to his own devices. So, from time to time, Asterius patiently does battle with his would-be challengers, until each one is defeated.

This is such a time.

It takes longer than Asterius would have liked. Not because any single warrior in the queue is a match for him, but because they each insist on fighting alone as well. He doesn’t see the point of it. If they all attacked at once, he might dispatch them all with greater speed and return to fighting side by side with Theseus. When he proposes this, however, they seem gravely insulted to a man. Such is the way in Elysium. And so it is that Asterius returns to his quarters drenched in sweat (or the ghostly equivalent), completely uninjured and wondering what his king has been up to, all this time.

He hears the short one’s voice from down the hall, although it takes him a moment to recognize it, in this form--a soft, steady drip of pleasurable noises. Still, from this he has some idea what he might see upon entering his and Theseus’ shared chambers. And, indeed, there they are: both nude, sprawled attractively on the new furniture Theseus purchased (Asterius doesn’t know the name of it--like a bed, but lower, for sitting, and now apparently also fucking). Still, a small surprise--they are not engaged with each other in exactly the way he had expected.

Zagreus lies splayed on his back, his head in the king’s lap. He is dull-eyed with desire, the unmistakable rosy halo of Aphrodite’s influence hanging over him, and Asterius’ eyes catch on a gold ring, fitted snugly at the base of his weeping erection. It glints in time with the rolling of his hips--a shallow but unceasing movement, seeking friction from empty air. With his legs spread this wide, Asterius can easily see evidence of his king’s lust, spread across Zagreus’ thighs, dripping from his cleft.

“Asterius!” Theseus looks pleased, flushed with arousal and the joy of victory. “Why, you couldn’t have better timing, my friend! Come see what I’ve taught him!”

“King.” Asterius sets his axe aside as Theseus pulls their rival up by the hair. Zagreus obliges without complaint (remarkable, thinks Asterius, approaching). "Show me, then."

“What are you, filth?” Theseus prompts, and:

 _“A stain upon Elysium, sir,”_ comes the response, all in one breath. Zagreus’ eyelids hang heavy, his lips parted in a dazed, panting half-smile.

“And where is your place?”

_“Beneath you, sir.”_

“And what is your body’s purpose?”

_“To serve your pleasure, sir.”_

“Good pet!” Theseus coos, with possessive pride, and Zagreus looks distantly thrilled, mumbling his thanks. The king looks to Asterius, grinning and brightly boastful. “After _laborious_ teaching, at last he responds as expected! Have I not achieved a great feat here? Is he not much improved?”

Asterius tilts his head. To him, both of them are at their best with a fire burning in them, keen as blades and ready for battle. Still, he thinks he can see the appeal. After all, has he not taken Theseus in a similar state, before? And when such a man begs to be claimed, it's impossible to resist. “...An impressive change,” Asterius acknowledges. And then, noticing again the divine light hanging about the short one, “You asked the goddess’s assistance.”

“Ah, yes! Even the smallest touch is ecstasy to him!” Theseus wraps an arm around Zagreus’ waist and sucks at the crook of his neck, where the skin is already dappled thickly with red marks. Zagreus whimpers, his eyes rolling back, his hips starting to rock again. Theseus looks up again--”See that, Asterius?” 

The heat in his eyes is both endearing and enflaming. It doesn’t escape Asterius’ notice that Theseus is almost fully hard himself, for what must be at least the third time since he began this endeavor. He's always had a passion for such marathons. “When will the blessing lift?”

“Here I have been particularly clever,” says Theseus with great cheer. “It ends when the fiend reaches completion, and so--” (He reaches down to adjust the golden ring Asterius noticed earlier, and Zagreus trembles.) “--I’ve prevented it! He was not so patient at first, but I’ve made him _quite_ well-behaved, haven’t I…’ _Zagreus’?”_

He says the name with odd, awkward inflection, but Zagreus quivers again at the sound, craning his neck to turn glossy eyes on Theseus’ face. _“Nnhhh--yes sir.”_

“Good pet!” Theseus cries again, delighted with his own cleverness and power. Then, to Asterius, “Such a struggle, my friend--it’s taken me perhaps two hours, even with the help of Lady Aphrodite...I doubt we shall see him so pliant again soon!”

“Two hours, you say.” Asterius snorts, impressed. “Such endurance.”

Theseus, who had begun to toy with one of Zagreus’ nipples, tightens his grip in outrage. Over Zagreus’ plaintive yelp, he scoffs, “Please! There’s nothing to it, Asterius--I could last twice as long, in his place!”

Asterius finds, to his own surprise, that the thought makes him curious. Testing the limits of his king’s stamina, his patience...it has much the same appeal as a good sparring match. Theseus' skills in battle have been sharpened so keenly by their battles with the short one. To see him tested thus, sharpened even further...hm. “...You propose a contest, king?”

“If you wish me to prove myself, then certainly!” Theseus huffs, proud and reckless as ever. Asterius watches Zagreus twist and moan under his touch and imagines the king in his place, battling his own urges, striving nobly to master himself.

“...I may wish it,” he says, after a moment, with a heavy breath. Theseus’ eyes drop below his belt, finding the slight tenting of his tunic there. The king licks his lips, distracted momentarily from his charge.

“Ah, my friend...you should not go unaided, there.”

“I, too, can wait,” says Asterius, amused. “Continue your game.”

“No need!” Theseus takes Zagreus’ jaw in one hand, speaking into his ear. “Stand, daemon! Present yourself to good Asterius!”

Zagreus unfolds from his seat with tremulous slowness, panting, his eyes fixed desirously on Asterius for a moment. Then turns about and bends over, kneeling with his chest on the cushions to offer his well-used rear end. Asterius snorts, tempted in spite of himself. A luxurious gift, to be sure, but he has some concerns, still.

“...Is he ready for me?”

“He may not yet accommodate your girth,” Theseus concedes. “Perhaps try instead--inserting yourself betwixt his thighs, yes?”

Such a thing had not previously occurred to Asterius. He kneels and slides considering fingers between Zagreus’ legs, finding his flesh soft and already slick from Theseus’ attentions. “...Inventive.”

Theseus sniffs. “A useful trick, for those without the fortitude to do better.”

“Mm.” Perhaps Theseus will allow him the satisfaction of that fortitude later. Till then, however, there seems no reason not to accept such a gift. Asterius takes himself in one hand and rests the other on the small of Zagreus’ back. A soft gasp answers the gesture. Theseus was right, it seems--there’s no touch so light that it will not inspire a reaction.

“He particularly likes to be rubbed just there,” says Theseus helpfully, indicating the gentle divot of Zagreus’ tailbone. Obligingly, Asterius massages the spot with his thumb and receives a high, tight noise in return. Zagreus’ legs wobble. Theseus sighs in satisfaction, reminding Asterius that even when they defeat their foe, they do not customarily have the chance to savor the victory. Now, at last, Theseus has ample time to revel in it.

“How do you like that, fiend?”

“Feels-- _hh!_ \--so good sir,” breathes Zagreus immediately, his voice hitching as Asterius repeats the motion. “Thank you sir-- _nnh!_ \--so good--”

“He doesn’t beg today,” Asterius observes, now hungrily eyeing the gap between Zagreus’ trembling thighs. He’s warming to the idea, and his body responds in kind.

“Oh, he did!” Theseus reaches out to stroke Zagreus’ head, fingers digging through his hair to scratch fondly at the scalp. Even this sensation seems unspeakably pleasurable for Zagreus, who twists to push into it, murmuring _oh_ \-- “For the first hour or so, and then I forbade it!”

“Why?” Asterius squeezes the short one’s legs a little closer together with both hands. This will be remarkably snug, he thinks. A useful trick, indeed. Though his cock is sure to graze against Zagreus’ as he thrusts, and for that small torment he feels somewhat sorry. But not very. “You enjoy it greatly. Or so you told me.”

“He was so wanton with it,” says Theseus airily. “I wanted to see if he could contain himself, and not beseech me until I allowed it.”

“And he has not?”

“He has not!” This thought seems to distract Theseus somewhat. He trails a finger down Zagreus’ flushed cheek with an attitude bordering on tenderness. “I confess, in this regard I may have a grudging respect for the creature. He is all too keen to serve, when sufficiently persuaded…”

 _“Sir,”_ says Zagreus, tilting his head to catch Theseus’ finger in his mouth. His cheeks hollow, and when his lips part at last Asterius catches a glimpse of his tongue, working busily--for all the pleasure he can give, thus. Theseus colors. In the corner of his eye, Asterius sees his cock jump.

“...Friend Asterius, I may join you.”

“By all means,” says Asterius, and slides at last into the slick, warm crevice presented to him. “ _Nnngh..._ Not bad--at all--”

He marvels at Zagreus’ response--if these are the noises he makes at a little friction between his thighs, what must he have sounded like with Theseus inside him? It makes sense, suddenly, that the king would make him wait so, and use him again and again. It must have been remarkable to hear. Still…

“...Should this be the end of it, do you think?” says Theseus, seeming to follow the same line of thought. He sounds reluctant, but anyone with eyes to see would agree Zagreus is on his last legs. Asterius hums in agreement.

“Well, then!” Thesus scoots over and spreads his legs wide to either side of Zagreus’ head. “You are permitted to beg for this, fiend! Please me well, and I shall make your release all the more pleasurable!”

Zagreus groans shakily, the sound dripping with relief and gratitude. _“Ohhh--sir please may I--hnh!--may I suck your cock, I want it--”_

“You want _this_?” Theseus strokes himself happily, pushing Zagreus’ head back with the other hand as he struggles vainly forward.

 _“Yes sir please take my--haahhh--take my, my mouth, it’s yours sir--”_ Zagreus cuts himself off, keening at the new sensation as Asterius’ grip on him shifts.

“You salivate for me,” Theseus declaims, rapturous, allowing Zagreus a little closer.

_“Yes sir, you taste so good...”_

“ _Mmh--_ you dream of it! Soon I think this will be what you most crave... The ambrosia you take so ignobly from the arena shall have my flavor…”

_“'s my god, sir, I worship with my mouth, please--”_

From the contorted shock on Theseus’ face, this isn’t one of the lines he taught their rival--nor, Asterius would wager, anything he’s heard before. To conjure such poetry from thin air, while in such a state...incredible. Almost frightening.

“H--have your god and worship, then!” cries Theseus, ferocious with sudden, consuming arousal, and gives Zagreus what he so desires. The sight of him in such a state, thrusting feverishly, his eyes burning as they do in battle, is more alluring than any poetry, to Asterius. He groans, matching his king's rhythm, and finds Theseus’ eyes fixed on him now instead.

“Magnificent, as ever,” Theseus breathes. “My bull. What’s mine is, _mmm_ , is ever yours...”

“He did speak once of us _sharing him_ ,” Asterius remarks, remembering it suddenly.

“Did he, now?!” Theseus laughs, seizes Zagreus’ hair and forces him all the way down, fucking deep into his throat. “Then he must be, _mmh,_ enjoying himself greatly! A-are you not, hellspawn?”

Zagreus groans loudly around him, which sounds very much like agreement to Asterius. He sighs in contentment and picks up speed, losing himself to the silky heat of living flesh. They continue like that in companionable silence, using him from both ends, delighting in each other’s ecstasy. By the end, Theseus is becoming sluggish, his face creased with exertion as he wrings out yet another orgasm. Asterius follows not long after, huffing and gripping at Zagreus’ flanks hard enough that it may well leave bruises. If needs be, he will apologize later. That said, somehow he doubts the prince will complain.

“ _Very..._ good...” Theseus pants, his body slack and gleaming as he falls back. “And...you swallowed it all...this time! Hah--how diligent you are, pet!”

Zagreus whimpers fecklessly, nuzzles at his thigh. _“Sir thank you please...”_

It's evident from Theseus' expression that part of him wishes to torture their rival a little while longer. But he is tired, and Zagreus is tired, and for that matter Asterius is tired from his many battles. As fine a treat as this was, he would like to lie in peace. He's glad when Theseus nods to him, indicating the end of the game is indeed nigh.

“Asterius...I would have him laid out for me.”

Zagreus' body is loose as Asterius hoists him onto the cushions. He breathes unevenly through swollen lips, wet eyes fixed pleadingly on Theseus. _“Mmnh--now…?”_

Theseus crawls to him, hunched above his body like a predator about to eat. Golden locks hang loose from his head, brushing Zagreus’ face, and one of his hands crawls between the short one’s thighs, finding the golden ring and tugging at it. Zagreus’ chest heaves.

“Not yet,” murmurs Theseus as it slides loose. “Not yet, daemon. And don’t move an inch, or I shall be most displeased with you.”

His hand closes on Zagreus with something that might appear to some as gentleness, but which Asterius recognizes as a small, petty cruelty. It doesn’t bother him, particularly--rather, it intrigues. The intensity of Theseus’ focus, the grin snarling at the corners of his lips...if Asterius had not come just recently, he thinks the sight would whet his appetite again.

It is fascinating too, watching Zagreus fight to keep himself from thrusting, his body juddering in fits and starts. His head lolls to one side, his expression distant and transported. _“Nnnpleeaaase, ah, ahhh, hh--nnhaah--”_

“What are you, filth?”

_“Nnnh sir please--”_

Theseus lowers his head and speaks into Zagreus’ ear again, coaxingly insistent. “First, answer! Answer and you'll have your reward, fiend! What are you?”

“ _Nnn stain on ‘lysium sir--”_

Theseus drags a hand along his length, just once, and Zagreus sobs so loudly that it’s almost a shout, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

“And where is your place?”

_“Beneath you sir please, please, aah!”_

“And your body’s purpose?”

_“Haa--aaahhh, aah, to, t’serve you sir, king, beg you sir please please please--!”_

“There,” says Theseus, “was that so hard, now?” and Asterius watches his shoulder flex as he pumps away. Zagreus’ eyes roll back, his body snapping taut like a drawn bow, his words dissolving into a drawn-out, animal noise of helpless pleasure. Asterius watches with interest as white streaks spatter his belly and chest--more than he’s seen from either of the two so far, though he’ll admit, it’s a limited sample of humanity.

And then the haze of Aphrodite’s power dissipates in pink whisps, and Zagreus’ eyes flutter shut, and he falls limp. For a strange, wild moment, Asterius thinks he’s died, and stands abruptly in alarm. But, no, the Styx would have taken him. So he must simply be sleeping, suddenly and deeply.

“Well done,” says Theseus, apparently not noticing as he pats the short one’s thigh. “Ah, we’ll make a loyal hound of you yet, daemon!” He frowns. “...Daemon?”

It’s at this moment that Asterius’ careless footsteps land on Zagreus’ discarded clothes--among them, something round and soft that squeaks underfoot. Asterius looks down to see a cloth doll of some kind under his heel--perhaps fashioned after a rat, if rats were shaped rather differently.

And then the air turns grave-cold, and the room is soaked in a greenish light, and the toll of a great, deathly bell seems to reverberate in Asterius’ bones. A specter appears: a white-haired man in smoke-black robes and finery of pale gold. A great scythe hangs from his left arm, and Asterius feels fur prickle all down his spine at the sight. He’s seen this god before, often seconds before dissolving into brief non-death in the arena. He comes to aid Zagreus in battle. And now Asterius, somehow, has summoned him.

“I’m here,” the god intones, and then freezes, almost accusatory in his surprise. “What? Where--?”

His eyes dart around the room, then from Asterius to Theseus (naked and terrified), and finally to the seemingly unconscious (also naked, freshly come) Zagreus. Asterius and Theseus share a glance. _Thanatos,_ Theseus mouths, his blue eyes wide. _Who,_ Asterius mouths back, and then a lethally quiet cough demands their attention.

The specter’s eyes narrow.

“...That’s my partner you’re lying on, there. What have you done to him?”

And this is how they learn, by sheer foolish accident, that Zagreus is dating Death.

\--

Than hovers over Zagreus’ bed, owlishly watchful, as though he might collapse again at any second. Upon first waking a few hours ago, Zagreus had wandered dazedly about the House, trying to piece it all together, before Than found him and chivvied him back to his room. Now, after another solid hour of sleep, it seems he’s finally permitted to at least sit up in bed.

“Were you dehydrated?”

Zagreus frowns. “What? I don’t know.”

“Hmph. Neither did _they_ , when I asked.”

“I promise you, Than, I’m fine,” Zagreus says, his ears burning. “I had a lovely time! We negotiated, and everything!”

By which he means, of course, _We got into a fight and I dared him to do it so he did it, and we went from there,_ but Than can never know that and Meg _especially_ can never know that. Ideally, Meg won’t know about _any_ of it.

“I told Meg,” says Than. _Damn it._ Well, if she’s on the job, he’ll at least have a little time to think of what to say to her.

“She’s waiting for us in the lounge,” says Than. _DAMN IT._

“You could’ve just left me there, you know,” says Zagreus accusingly. “A little rest, and I’d have been good as new. I _wasn’t_ dehydrated, by the way, I just remembered--I ran into a fountain chamber right before...well, before all of that. So I would’ve been fine. And now Hypnos won’t stop asking why you killed me.”

“Then let him keep asking,” says Than, remorselessly. “At least it was quiet and painless. That’s...better than most ends you meet out there, I’m sure.” He tries to pass this off as casual, but Zagreus doesn’t miss the hint of an ache in his voice. Blast him, making it so hard to stay angry.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Zagreus mutters, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. He doesn’t want to face his fate in the lounge, but he doubts Than will leave until he does.

Than arches an eyebrow. “The _principle._ You mean, your work? You think you were going to go fight your lord father after-- _that?”_

“Well,” says Zagreus testily, “perhaps not. I guess. It's possible I made some bad decisions that would have impeded me on the job, and I’d most likely have died in the temple anyway, is that what you want to hear?”

“No!” Than looks genuinely upset for a moment, his brow furrowing. “Of...course not.”

Zagreus grimaces. Well, that won’t do at all. “No, I-- I’m sorry, Than. I just...I suppose I’m just angry because I know you’re right. Won’t you go a little easy on me, now that I’ve admitted it? I have a delicate ego, you know.”

After a moment, Than inclines his head, accepting the olive branch with a dry smile. “...Famously so, yes.”

“Thank you.” Zagreus sighs, cards his fingers through his hair. As usual, it springs right back into its natural, wild state. “...Shall we?”

Than nods, lets him take the lead as they wend their way down to the hall. Zagreus ducks through the door, waving hastily at Nyx as they pass her.

“My child, Hypnos tells me--”

“Sorry, can’t stay, important business to attend to!” says Zagreus with painful cheer, dragging Thanatos after him. And then his eyes meet Meg’s, searing into him from across a table twenty paces away. The shades around her seem to be making an even larger berth than usual.

“Blood and darkness,” he mutters. Than hums in what might be agreement, and Zagreus glares at him askance.

“...Did you only forgive me because you felt sorry for me?”

“Oh, it won’t be as bad as all that,” says Than, and then he’s dragging Zagreus, a gauntleted hand hooked around his upper arm. And then they’re all around the table again, and his pulse is racing like a bat’s under Meg’s glare, and why is this happening.

“Meg!” he says, with a smile he knows is not convincing. “Hello! So...look, I can explain--”

“I want to meet the Champion.”

Oh, gods, she’s going to kill Theseus. Or--spirit him away to Tartarus and lay into him without authorization, and then Asterius will never speak to him again and they’ll all be in trouble, and he’ll probably lose his job and end up behind a desk again--

Than and Meg are both staring at him, with concern and stony patience respectively. _Say something._

Sweating, he manages, “Erm. Why?”

“I’m going to teach him how to take care of you,” says Meg, and snaps her folded whip meaningfully.

“Oh,” says Zagreus. He flushes down to his neck. _“...Oh.”_

Well. There’s no arguing with that.

**Author's Note:**

> -it's happening. it's spank time. I don't want to leave Than out but I'm also not sure how much he'd want to be there in the first place. maybe he'll just be chilling out with Asterius.  
> -I'm quite alright with writing people doing disorganized kink with poor negotiation, because I'm in charge and I get to say that everyone's okay at the end! but also the next one's gonna be fun. but also even that one probably won't be a great example of Proper Real-World Play so, what I'm saying is, grain of salt.  
> -I switch between wanting Sassy Zag and wanting Floppy Goodboy Zag. get you a man who can do both.  
> -I did the "Theseus just took Asterius full-on from the get-go" gag in the first fic and now I'm committed, RIP  
> -probably Asterius would know who Thanatos is but it's funnier for this if he doesn't--I can see him having trouble keeping track of all the gods, anyway, so perhaps he's heard the name and just forgotten.  
> -similarly, Zagreus probably DOESN'T know what an owl is, but Than is so very owlish. please let me have this.  
> -sometimes I write lines for this and then immediately scroll away because I'm too embarrassed to look at them, but, you know, it's a process.
> 
> (theseus: you love my dick, you love it so much that the thing that tastes like the best thing ever tastes like my dick to you  
> zagreus: I really do, it's my literal god even though I'M a god, pls fuck my mouth  
> theseus: what the FUCK???)


End file.
